When to Plant Pineapple in Cairns, Tropical Guide

Plant September to November. Right now in October you can plant.

Planting window
Plant tops or suckers on raised, free-draining beds before the monsoon. Growth is slow in the cooler months, and fruit ripens from November...
Sunlight
Full sun. Maximum heat. North-facing position in marginal zones.
Soil pH
4.5-5.5 (acidic)

Published · Last reviewed · By GardenBuddy.au
Growing advice is reviewed by hand. Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.

This Pineapple guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.

Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth

Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.

Pineapple

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

A bromeliad, not a tree or even a bush. Grows as a rosette of spiky leaves at ground level and produces a single fruit on a central stalk. Propagated from the crown (leafy top of fruit), suckers, or slips from the mother plant. Takes 18-24 months from planting a crown to first fruit. Each plant produces ONE fruit then generates suckers for subsequent crops. Strictly tropical/warm subtropical. Frost kills them.

See what grows now in your own postcode

Best Planting Window for Tropical

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
- - - - - - - - P P P -

P = Planting window

Plant tops or suckers on raised, free-draining beds before the monsoon. Growth is slow in the cooler months, and fruit ripens from November to March.

Want a nudge when it is Pineapple sowing time in Cairns?

One email a week with what is worth planting in the Tropical zone right now, Pineapple included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.

This month in Tropical

In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.

The full twelve months are on the Tropical zone page.

How to Grow Pineapple in Tropical Australia

When to Plant

Plant tops or suckers on raised, free-draining beds before the monsoon. Growth is slow in the cooler months, and fruit ripens from November to March.

Soil
Well-drained, sandy or sandy loam. Acidic. Pineapples CANNOT tolerate waterlogged soil. Root rot is rapid.
pH Range
4.5-5.5 (acidic)
Sunlight
Full sun. Maximum heat. North-facing position in marginal zones.

Companion plants: Other bromeliads, Tropical ground covers

Avoid planting near: Waterlogged areas

Tropical Growing Tips for Pineapple

Recommended Varieties

  • Smooth Cayenne
  • Queen (smaller, sweeter)
  • MD-2 (Gold/Sweet)
  • Rough-leaf

Key Challenges

  • Root rot in wet season
  • Mealybugs

Pro Tips

  • Ideal zone. FNQ is commercial pineapple country.
  • Well-drained soil or raised beds essential in wet tropics.

Harvesting Pineapple

When ready: Shell colour changes from green to yellow-gold (starting at base). Sweet aroma develops. Pull a central leaf. If it detaches easily, fruit is ready. Thump test. Sounds dull when ripe, hollow when unripe.

How to harvest: Cut stem below fruit with sharp knife. Can cut with attached slip for propagation.

Where to next

What pineapple costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.

Also worth sowing in the tropical zone this October: Ginger, Lemongrass, Basil and Okra.

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Common Questions About Pineapple

When do you plant pineapple in Australia?

It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:

Which zone am I in?

Type your postcode into the box under the heading and the page tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.